The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1887-07-07

book was read on all sides until the rOugh |
and vicious population were evangelical, |
ana q church was started and an enilght- |
ene1 commonwealth established, and tie |
worlds history has no more brilliant PAGE |
than that which tells OF the trausforma- |
ton of nation by one book. 1t did not
seem of much Importance whether the
sailor continued 10 hold the book in his
teeth or let it fall in the breakers, but
upon what small circumstance depended
what mighty results
Practical inference: There are no IN
signifcances in our lives. The minutest
thing is part of a magnitude Infnity is
made up of infinitesimals. Great things
an aggregation Of small things. Bethle-
hem manger pulling on a star in the east
ern sky. One book in a drcrched sailors
mouth the evangelizatiOn of a multitude.
One boat Of papyrus on the Nile freighted
with events for all ages. The fate of
Chrstendom in a basket let down from a
window on the wall. What you do, do
wen. If you make a rope make it strong
and true for you know not how much
may depend on your Workmanship. If
you fashion boat let it be waterproof
for you know not who may sail in it, II
you put Bible in the trunk Of your boy
as he goes from home, let it be heard in
your prayers, for it may have a mission
as far reaching as the book which the
sailor carried in his teeth TO the Pitcairn
beach. The plainest mans life is an
island between two cternities-eternity
past ripping against his shoulders, eter-
nifty to come touching his brow. The cas-
nal, the accidental, that which merely
happened so, are parts of great plan,
and the rope that lets the fugitive apostle
from the Damascus wall is the cable that
holds to its mOoring the ship of the church
in the northeast storm Of the centuries.
Again, notice unrecognized and un-
recorded services. Who spun that rope?
Who tied it to the basket? Who steadied
| the illustrious preacher as he stepped into
/ it? Who relaxed not q muscle of the arm
| or dismissed an anxious look from his face
/ until the basket touched the ground and
| discharged its magnificent cargo? Not
| one of their names has come to us, but
| there was 30 work done that day in Da
| mascUs or in all the earth compared with
the importance of their work. What if
/ they had in the agitation ted a knot that
| could slip? What if the sound of the mob
at the door had led them to say: PAU
must take care of himself, and we will
I take care OF ourselves?n No, mol They
| held the rope, and in doing so did more
| for the Christian church than any thOus-
| and of us viii ever accomplish But God
| knows and has made eternal record of
| their undertaking. And they know. How
! eXultant they must have felt when they
read his letters to the Romans, to the
| Corinthians, to the Galatians, to the
! Ephesians, to the Philippians, to the Co1Os-
! slams, to the Thessalonans, to Timothy, to
| Titus, to Philemon, to the Hebrews, and
! when they heard how he walked out of
| prison with the earthquake unlocking the
/ door for him, and took command of the
! AleXandran corn ship when the sailors
! were nearly scared to death, and preached
| Il sermon that nearly shook Felix off his
| Judgment seat. 1 hear the men and
women who helped him down through the
| window and over the wall talking in pri-
| waite over the matter, and saying: 'HOW
! glad ] am that we effectad that rescue,
IN coming times others may get the glory
of PauIs work, but no one shall rob US Of
| the satisfaction of knowing that we held
the rope"
Once for thirty-six hours we expected
| every moment to go to the bottom of the
ocean. The waves struck through the
skyh1hts and rushed down into the holt
of the ship and hissed against the boilers
1t was IN awful time but, by the blessing
of God and the faithfulness of the men in
charge, we came out of the cyclone and
| we arrived at home. Each one before
leaving the ship thanked Capt. Andrews.
do not think there was a man
or woman that went off that
ship without thanking Capt. Andrews,
and when years after / heard Of his death
7 was impelled 10 write a letter of con-
dolence to his family in Liverpool Ev-
erybody recognized the goodness, the cour-
age, the kindness OF Capt. Andrews; but
the engineer He stood away down in the
darkness amid The kissing furnaces doing
his whole duty. Nobody thanked the en-
gireer, but God recognized his heroism
aud his continuance and his fidelity, and
/ theEewill be Just as high reward for the
engineer " h8 worked ont Of SIGHT as for
the captain who stood on the bridge OF tie
ship in the midst of the hoWiHg tempest.
There are said to be about O9, 900 minis
ters of religion in this country. About
| &c. 600 ! warrant came from early homes
which had 10 struggle for the uecessaries
of life. The sOns Of rich bankers and
merchants generally become bankers and
merchants The most of those who be
1 come ministers are the sons of those who
had terrific struggle to get their everyday
bread. The collegiate and theological cd
urariOn of that son took every luxury
! !
The other children were more scaEtily
appareled The son at college every little
While got bundle from home. In it
were the socks that mother had knit, sit
ting up late at night, her sight not as
good as once it was And there also were
/ some delicacies from the sisters hand fOI
the yOraCious appetite OF hungry stu
! dent. The father swung thR heavy cradle
= through the wheat, the sweat rolling from
his chin believing every step OF the way,
4 and then sitting down under the cherry
! tree al noon thinking TO himself: II am
, | fearfully tired, but it viii pay if I cal
, once see that boy through college, and il
E | { can know that he will be preaching the
Gospel after | am dead" The younger
4, children want to know why they can't
have this and that as Others do, and tht
g mother says: .'I}e patient, my children
! until your brother graduates, and ther
you shall have more luXurles; but W.
e must see fhat boy through. -
e The years go by, and the son has beel
. ordained and is preaching the glorious
Gospel, and a great revival comes anc
4 souls by scores and hundreds accept tn
/ Gospel from the lips of that younl
!, preacher, aud father and mother, quit
r old now, are visiting the son at the vii
II lare parsonage, and at the close Of a Sab
4 bath Of mighty blessing father and mothe
# retire to their room, the son lighting tn
K way and asking them if he can do any
II thing to make them more comfortable
IS saying if they want anything il the nigh
p Just to knock On the wall And then, al
= alone. father aud mother talk over tn
gracious influences OF the day and say
II Gwen, it was worth all we went throug
r to educate that boy. II was a hard pull
,e but we held on till the work was done
" The world may not know it, but, mother
al we held the rope, .didn't,weY And til
ID voice, tremulous with joyful emotion, rt
n spends: "Tes. father, we held the rope
ID | feel my work is done. Now, Lord, lei
a test thou thy servant depart il peace, fc
G. mine eyes have seen thy salvation.
lo "Pshawp' says the father, u never te
lt SO much ike living in my life as now.
IN want to see what that fellow is going o
m 10 do, he has begun Sc well,'
2e Something occurs 10 me quite persona